Lightweight M2M Solution on Android Platform (Computer Project)

Machine-to-machine communication (M2M) is a generic term for technologies dealing with autonomous communication between machines.

For the last 10 years a wide range of business areas utilize a variety of different M2M solutions for remote management of equipment. Common for almost all of those solutions is that they are expensive and require the infrastructure to be adapted to them. They are also usually built out of several different systems working together and thus there are several systems that require maintenance.

This study investigates the possibility to develop a lightweight alternative to existing M2M solutions using only common devices and protocols. Lightweight here means that the system should be flexible, have a low cost for set-up and operation and that both ends should be mobile. By developing a lightweight M2M architecture the technology may become available in new business areas and new types of services may arise.

In the study a prototype is implemented. The purpose of the prototype is to practically verify whether a lightweight M2M solution is possible to develop in this manner. The solution uses the Android platform for back-end and user interface and a Cinterion TC65T as slave device to which the sensors can be connected. The implemented system is limited in terms of security and performance but still acts as a proof of concept for this kind of M2M solution.
Source: University of Maryland
Author: Gustafsson, Magnus